February 2007
The monthly, members-only, e-zine keeps AATH members updated on the latest developments in the world of applied and therapeutic humor. Each link will open a new window for anything outside the AATH website. All web links below have been carefully checked and worked at the time of publication. If the link does not take you to the listed article, please contact the owners of that website about finding that article. Disclaimer: Published by Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor. AATH accepts no responsibility for any claims, either expressed or implied, in this publication. The information and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of AATH, its officers, directors, staff, or members. |
Humor Research
Clifford Kuhn, MD: healing with humor.
Kuhn C
Healthc Financ Manage 2006 Dec, 60:30-2
Laughter and forgiveness
Author: Billen, A
Source: Prospect, 2006, no. 129, pp. 66-67
The Telegraph
Laughter, the best medicine
By Varuna Verma
January 1, 2006
“We measured the stress levels of the employees before and after a laughter yoga session,” says Kataria. The researchers found that stress levels reduced significantly after an hour of laughs and yogic exercise.
www.telegraphindia.com
Chortle
Why laughter is contagious
December 28, 2006
Researchers at University College London and Imperial College London have shown that just hearing a laugh triggers a response in the part of the brain that’s also activated when we smile. It is, they say, as if hearing laughter prepares our facial muscles to laugh.
www.chortle.co.uk
Orlando Sentinel
Is your sense of humor toxic or a tonic?
By Louise Dobson
January 8, 2007
Studies that link a sense of humor to good health are probably measuring this phenomenon; when you have a wry perspective, it's hard to remain anxious or hostile for long. Martin calls it "self-enhancing humor," because you don't need other people to entertain you; if something peculiar or annoying happens, you're perfectly capable of laughing at it on your own.
www.orlandosentinel.com
The Pratt Tribune
Seminar provides chuckles
January 12, 2007
Gelotology is the physiological study of laughter…Emotional responses tend to be confined to one area of the brain, Karcher said, but laughter seems to be produced via a circuit that runs through many areas of the brain. That may explain why some people lose their sense of humor after a stroke or other brain injury, she said.
www.pratttribune.com
The Appalachian Online
Laugh out loud: study shows laughter improves relationships
By Heather Sanders
January 18, 2007
Psychology professor Dr. Doris G. Bazzini’s study on laughter is included in the January 2007 issue of the journal “Motivation and Emotion.”… She also said when couples reminisce about laughter together, it makes them feel closer and creates a stronger bond.
http://theapp.appstate.edu
Theory of mind, humour processing and executive functioning in alcoholism.
Uekermann J, Channon S, Winkel K, Schlebusch P, Daum I
Addiction 2007 Feb, 102:232-240
Findings and conclusions Group
comparisons revealed cognitive as well as affective humour processing
deficits of alcoholics in comparison with HC (Healthy Controls).
And Now For Something Completely Different: Humor in Psychoanalysis
Commentary on Paper by Joseph Newirth
Author: Altman, Neil
Source: Psychoanalytic Dialogues, Volume 16, Number 5, 1 October 2006, pp.
573-577(5)
Publisher: Analytic Press
Efforts to orchestrate a particular outcome to
an intervention that is meant to be humorous may well reveal more than was
intended, and thus have an unpredictable unconscious resonance.
Sun.Star Davao
Laughter is no joke
By Henrylito D. Tacio
January 22, 2007
According to a study published in "The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine," people hit by severe diseases have better survival chances if they can laugh easily.
www.sunstar.com.ph
AATH in the NEWS:
The Daily Advisor
Women nominated as heroes
By Marsha Sills
January 2, 2006
Fell (E-zine Ed. note: AATH member Cheryl B.) is a registered nurse who created "Nurse FUNshine," a persona she uses to bring humor to hospital patients and to teach health-care workers and other professionals how to use humor as a coping skill.
www.theadvertiser.com
dailybulletin.com
Professor proves laughter is best medicine
By Nikki Cobb
January 9, 2007
(E-zine Ed. note: AATH member Dr. Lee:) Berk, a thoughtful, sober man, doesn't preach. When asked, however, he does recommend - in accordance with his research - a lifestyle that includes exercise, good nutrition, spirituality, and other elements - including laughter.
www.dailybulletin.com
HappyNews.com
International Humor Association to Take Laughter Seriously
December 21, 2006
Over two hundred members of the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor will meet in Panama City Beach, Florida for their annual conference, February 15-18, 2007, at the Bay Point Marriott Resort, says AATH president Allen Klein, of San Francisco. The international organization is dedicated to advancing the understanding and application of humor and laughter. (E-zine Ed. note: several members of AATH mentioned in this article)
www.happynews.com
Redlandsdailyfacts.com
Laughter: A form of internal jogging
By Nikki Cobb
January 16, 2007
Laughter affects the mind and the body. It makes you feel good - and makes you healthier - at the same time, (E-zine Ed. note: member Lee) Berk said.
www.redlandsdailyfacts.com
Asbury Park Press Online
Laugh your way to good health
By Bryant Stamford
January 24, 2007
Laughter is good medicine. This is a message my friend (E-zine Ed. note: AATH member) Dr. Clifford Kuhn, affectionately known as the "laugh doctor," has been promoting for years.
www.app.com
HUMOR in the NEWS:
The Seattle Times
Often the target of jokes, Ford laughed right along
By Bruce Fessier
December 27, 2006
President Ford became known for his self-deprecating humor, and he often used it to defuse serious situations. After accepting the resignation of his secretary of agriculture, Earl Butz, for telling an offensive joke, President Ford made reference to it after being introduced by Hope at a National Entertainment Conference in Washington.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com
Courier-Journal.com
Waiting to be seen was never like this
By Katya Ceugel
December 26, 2006
Although his new job is working with cancer patients, the 41-year-old felt a little laughter would lighten things up. When a patient resists, he is quick to pull back, but most patients enjoy Lynch’s act, Scott said.
www.courier-journal.com
The Acorn
Laughter: A family’s best medicine
By Dr. Dennis Merritt Jones
December 7, 2006
Deep laughter is sort of like a mini-vacation for our minds, which of course has everything to do with what's going on in our bodies. From a medical perspective, it's been proven that humor and laughter play a vital role in expediting the healing process.
www.theacorn.com
The Boston Globe
And divided we laugh: the year in humor
By Paul Lewis
December 29, 2006
Most of the time when we asked "Have you heard the one about . . . " we were just taking a moment to step back from the troubles of a demanding and dangerous world.
www.boston.com
The Brownsville Herald
No sense of humor required
By Sara Perkins
December 30, 2006
Laughing tones facial and abdominal muscles, stimulates blood flow, releases endorphins and lowers stress hormones, according to research cited by laughter enthusiasts.
www.brownsvilleherald.com
USA Weekend Magazine
Special Health Report
By Dr. Todd Mitchell
January 7, 2006
Researchers from the University of Maryland Medical Center studied the "humor responses" of 300 people -- half with heart disease and half without. They found that folks who had heart disease were less likely to laugh at potentially stressful situations (such as a waiter spilling water on them).
http://usaweekend.com
The Valley Beautiful Beacon
A little humor with Leeuna
By Leeuna Foster
January 3, 2006
And in the words of Bob Newhart, laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.
www.vbbeacon.com
The Monitor
Is laughter the best medicine?
By Sara Perkins
December 30, 2006
Laughing tones facial and abdominal muscles, stimulates blood flow, releases endorphins and lowers stress hormones, according to research cited by laughter enthusiasts.
www.themonitor.com
baltimoresun
After laughter, action
By Courtney E. Martin
January 7, 2007
In this side-splittingly hypocritical country, you are entitled to the pursuit of happiness - so go ahead, laugh. But please, refrain from laughing until "it don't hurt no more." It should hurt. It should hurt so badly that you have to get up from the couch and do something about it.
www.baltimoresun.com
All Headline News
Will Smith Says Laughter Leads To Sex
By Maira Oliveira
January 8, 2007
The actor believes a good sense of humor is the ultimate attraction for any lady and is confident he can laugh a woman out of her underwear.
www.allheadlinenews.com
LittleIndia.com
Hasya Yoga
By Naunidhi Kaur
January 9, 2007
A good bout of laughter reduces the levels of stress hormones epinephrine and cortisol. Laughter tones up facial muscles and makes people more attractive. "When you laugh, your face becomes red due to an increase in blood supply, which nourishes the facial skin and makes it glow," says Sud.
www.littleindia.com
Chillocothe Gazette
Spread the laughter
By Chris Balusik
January 6, 2007
Venues locally to host the "Laughter is Medicine" comedy series - so named because of what El Bey says is the medically proven benefits of laughter - right now have two leaders in Chillicothe, Cardo's and the Comfort Inn.
www.chillicothegazette.com
allafrica.com
Uganda: Laugh to Health in 2007
By Hilary Bainemigisha
January 2, 2007
Laughter is one of the best medicines; it boosts the immune system, mental condition, blood circulation, muscle tone, beauty and overall well-being. It also lessens pain and reduces stress.
http://allafrica.com
Scoop
Buskers are the best medicine
January 8, 2007
Christchurch mayor Garry Moore prescribes to the theory laughter is the best medicine and is hoping the city’s residents avail themselves of the opportunity for a good healthy laugh by attending as many of the World Buskers Festival events as possible.
www.scoop.co.nz
Ynetnews.com
Power of humor
By Ray Hanania
January 12, 2007
Why do people insist on laughing even in the worst of times? Because they insist on being human. Nothing energizes the human spirit more than humor, even at the worst possible times.
www.ynetnews.com
Israel21C
Israeli degree in ‘medical clowning’ a prescription for health
By Asher Goldstein
January 14, 2007
Laughter is the best medicine - an old saying, but one that the University of Haifa is taking seriously by introducing Israel's first degree program - and perhaps the only degree in the world - in medical clowning.
www.israel21c.org
Arutz Sheva
Comedy Fest Set for J’lem While Humor leads to Moroccan Jail
By Gil Zohar
January 16, 2007
Warady kibbitzes, “We will not have accomplished anything from this comedy show if we accomplish anything less than total peace and understanding in the Middle East, along with a two-state solution with the dilemma of Jerusalem solved.”
www.israelnationalnews.com
Hattiesburg American
Laughter is truly the best medicine Increase your happiness, life satisfaction
By LaTonya Frelix
January 16, 2007
"Humor has been proven to add length to our lives and quality to our days and it is a powerful tool for managing stress, healing the body and stimulating creativity and increasing worker productivity," Kersh said.
www.hattiesburgamerican.com
CFNews13
Laughter Yoga
By Nancy Gay
January 16, 2007
You can have no sense of humor, you can feel depressed or miserable, but if you just laugh as a form of exercise your body responds with the physiological chemistry of really laughing, of joy, of happiness.” Briar said.
www.cfnews13.com
SF Gate
Columnist Art Buckwald Dies at Age 81
By Darlene Superville
January 18, 2007
"What Art had was the gift of laughter — that's a rarity today," Valenti told AP on Thursday. "He could take simple ordinary things and make you laugh. God knows all of us need that. I've been with him in all kinds of situations, good and bad, triumph and tragedy but Art always was able to see a little wisp of humor in everything."
www.sfgate.com
Times-Journal
Golden Globes bring the humor
By Kati Burns
January 18, 2007
The Golden Globe Awards broadcast Monday with an A-list audience that quickly set the mood for what turned out to be a long night filled with jokes and lively laughter.
www.times-journal.com
The State
Laughter is the best medicine---even if you ‘die’ trying
By Neil White
January 20, 2007
Humor can lessen stress, reduce tension and break down anger. Humor can bring people together. Humor can create positive energy.
www.thestate.com
STLToday.com
Humor in our lives: Laughs from the pulpit
By Jeff Daniels
January 21, 2007
Alper tells of adding humorous tales to the eulogy for a
"salty-but-beloved old woman" in his community. Such an act, adds Bethel's
Yancey, hinges on the concept of authenticity.
www.stltoday.com
American Chronicle
Why Funny Videos Are So Popular
By C. D. Mohatten
January 22, 2007
During a tough day, if a person watches a funny video, he/she forgets all the stress for the time being and has a hearty laugh
www.americanchronicle.com
latimes.com
Their battles with cancer, illustrated with humor
By Nick Owchar
January 22, 2007
Instead these books give us imagery with a minimum of words. In comics, the most crucial moments, portraits of a moment, are the ones rendered, and no two artists' brushes are the same.
www.latimes.com
Oshkosh Northwestern
Curiosity and humor help slow aging
By Susan Felt
January 22, 2006
Traits such as playfulness, curiosity, singing, dancing, loving, being creative, being joyful, laughing and crying — commonly associated with childhood — prolong youthfulness, she says.
www.thenorthwestern.com
The Shreveport Times
Playfulness, curiosity help boomers stay youthful
By Susan Felt
January 26, 2007
Traits such as playfulness, curiosity, singing, dancing, loving, being creative, being joyful, laughing and crying -- commonly associated with childhood -- prolong youthfulness, she says.
www.shreveporttimes.com
The World of HUMOR
HUMOR IN THE NEWS: RELATED ARTICLE
The Australian
Tim Fisher: Wise heads prevail in capital of happiness
By Tim Fisher
December 29, 2006
Jigme Singye Wangchuck also created the concept of gross national happiness, not as some vague feel-good dogma for meditation but as a serious attempt to ensure government policies reached beyond the fiscal to ensure general wellbeing and happiness. It is based on four carefully worked out pillars to give gross national happiness great depth and is now used by Indigo Shire in northeast Victoria.
www.theaustralian.news.com.au
The Economic Times
Happiness is not about feeling good
By Vithal C. Nadkarni
December 30, 2006
The natural game most of us are in is about ‘techniques of feeling good’, about how to get that feel-good rush of dopamine whether from food, sex or novelty. That’s not the same as the ‘art of living good’, about how to live the way you’d want to live in accordance with your values.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
Hamilton Spectator
Wealth and the pursuit of happiness
December 30, 2006
Capitalism can make you well off. And it also leaves you free to be as unhappy as you choose. To ask any more of it would be asking too much.
http://www.hamiltonspectator.com
Common Ground
Healthy at 100. Happiness as important as diet and lifestyle
By John Robbins
January 2007
When we ask life to remain perpetually spring, we turn the natural process of life into a process of loss rather than a process of celebration and appreciation.
http://commonground.ca
Philippine News
The pursuit of happiness
By Teodoro Bacani Jr.
January 3, 2006
Every human being can love, even in the most difficult and adverse of conditions, and the key to happiness is love, right love. The saints, the happiest of people even while living on earth, tell us this by their lives. Blessed Teresa of Calcutta is an outstanding icon of the equation of love and happiness.
www.manilastandardtoday.com
Chicago Sun-Times
Forgiveness is best resolution for 2007
By Laura Berman
January 1, 2007
Forgiveness is good for your health. Deciding to let go of anger and resentment toward someone or something is the equivalent of going vegetarian and hitting the gym five times a week (an easy way to check two resolutions off that list).
www.suntimes.com
The Capital
Achieving Happiness: Checklist assesses level of happiness
By Tom Muha
January 2006
I believe that there are six areas that must be fulfilled in order to PROPEL© yourself to the highest level of happiness: Passion, Relationships, Optimism, Proactivity, Energy and Legacy.
www.hometownannapolis.com
Kansas City Star
In the pursuit of happiness
By Jonathan Clements
January 7, 2006
•Relishing the day. Possibly the biggest obstacle to greater happiness is so-called hedonic adaptation. Sure, you are thrilled when you first get promoted or get a pay raise. But soon enough, the thrill fades and you are lusting after something else.
www.kansascity.com
Sunday Times
Happiness is a chat over the fence
By John Elliott
January 7, 2006
People who take the time to chat over the fence to their neighbours, have plenty of sex in a stable relationship and care about endangered species tend to be happier, according to a report by Tony Blair’s “department for happiness”.
www.timesonline.co.uk
Manchester Evening News
Mates make happy work
January 8, 2007
Research among 1,000 adults found that three out of four said good relationships with workmates was the main reason they enjoyed their job.
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
BBC News
You’ve got to laugh
By Megan Lane
January 10, 2007
All of which makes good business sense, as happy staff are said to be productive and motivated. And just as happiness is becoming a marker for governments, which have come to realise economic success, alone, isn't enough, so it is finding its way into corporate speak.
news.bbc.co.uk
7 Days
Smile – it might keep you alive
January 10, 2007
For those in the group with the highest optimism score, the death rate was 30.4 per cent; those in the most pessimistic group had a death rate of 56.5 per cent. There were 397 deaths in the study, and prevention of cardiovascular mortality accounted for nearly half of the protective effects of optimism.
www.7days.ae
Chicago Sun-Times
Don’t worry: Think happy to be happy
By Betsy Hart
January 14, 2006
As the article in the Times suggested, the growing study of human happiness suggests it is appropriate for us to deliberately focus our thoughts on what broadens us, elevates us and connects us to others. And the result may be that focus helps bring us the greatest satisfaction and happiness.
www.suntimes.com
Current.com
Pursue Happiness In Schools
By Mark K. Setton
January 16, 2007
How solid is the new science? If happiness turns out to be serious business, it's much too relevant to real life to leave in the hands of academics.
www.courant.com
Boston.com/news
Accentuating the positive (letter to editor)
By Martin E. Seligman
January 18, 2007
There is extensive scientific literature that shows just that. Learning to dispute catastrophic thoughts reliably changes pessimism into optimism. These changes cause relief and prevention of depression and likely cause better physical
health.
www.boston.com
DailyIllini.com
Column: Don’t buy into materialism myth: true happiness cannot be bought
By Dan Mollison
January 18, 2007
A report recently released by Chaplin documenting the results of her study reveals that self-esteem is a key factor in a child's level of materialism. Simply put, children who have low self-esteem tend to value material possessions more than children who don't.
http://media.www.dailyillini.com
Theage.com.au
Want to be happy? Science shows the way
By Marko Bargaric
January 20, 2007
Using brain imaging censors, they are able to weed out the grumps from the happy people. This takes the guess work out of deciding what patterns of behaviour we should adopt.
www.theage.com.au
The Independent
The happiest man in the world
By Anthony Barnes
January 21, 2007
Now Matthieu Ricard, 60, a French academic-turned-Buddhist monk, is to share his secrets to make the world a happier place. The trick, he reckons, is to put some effort into it. In essence, happiness is a "skill" to be learned.
http://news.independent.co.uk
Cybernoon.com
Between pleasure and pain
January 22, 2007
You are happy; accept the fact. Don’t cling to it, and don’t try not to become unhappy; don’t try anything. If unhappiness comes, allow it. If happiness comes, allow it. Just remain a watcher on the hill, just seeing things
www.cybernoon.com
PilotOnline.com
Marriage carries unfair burden
By Jacey Eckhart
January 20, 2007
For example, in a study of 35,000 Americans from 1972 to 2004, the National Opinion Research Center found that 44 percent of the married people described themselves as "very happy." Of the never married, separated, divorced or widowed people, 22 percent described themselves as "very happy."
http://content.hamptonroads.com
Gulfnews.com
New quest in British politics: Public happiness
By Mark Rice-Oxley
January 20, 2007
Tony Blair meanwhile has set up a government team, sometimes dubbed the "Department of Happiness" to study how to make people happier.
http://archive.gulfnews.com
The New York Times
Incomes and Inequality: What the Numbers Don’t Tell Us
By Tyler Cowen
January 25, 2007
Happiness, possibly the most relevant variable for a study of inequality, is also the hardest to measure. Nonetheless, inequality of happiness is usually less marked than inequality of income, at least in wealthy societies
www.nytimes.com
HUMOR
MEETINGS
The Camrose Canadian
Helping to map out your road to wellness
By Amanda Kuttnick-Dyer
January 22, 2007
The Camrose Senior Centre, along with East Central Health, is co-hosting a wellness conference Feb. 22, dedicated to the well-being of those 55 and over. Only 125 registrations will be accepted and Mortensen said spaces are already filling up.
The conference registration is $25 per person and includes lunch and refreshments. The fee is payable at the Camrose Senior Centre. Registrations are non-refundable and due by Feb. 19. Call the senior centre at 1-780-672-7022 or log onto camroseseniorcentre.ca for more information.
http://www.camrosecanadian.com
If you see something you would like to share in our E-Zine, send the lead to
Bob Nozik, E-zine Editor ezine@aath.org
